The Dark's Traitor
by Heart of a Panther
Summary: The looming battle between the Dark Forest and StarClan has everyone on edge.  Tigerstar has called upon an ancient group of cats who promises to be the demise of all four Clans. Their only possible savior is the Dark Forest's closest ally.
1. Chapter 1

_This all takes place after Night Whispers. I guess you could say this is the first story I've put up, I don't call Tales of ThunderClan a story. This story is supposed to be darker, though! Well, as dark and serious as I can make it..._

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><p>Hawkfrost slinked across the frosty ground, his body numb from the cold. Shadows spread across the forest floor and coated the trees like an ebony liquid. His dark tabby pelt was sliced by the darkness like hungry claws. The chilled air wreathed around him, squeezing his lungs, though he hadn't needed the life giving air for seasons.<p>

Silence stuffed his ears, the quiet still unnerved him despite the time he'd spent there. Every once in a while, he'd slid out his claws so they'd scratch the earth and break the dead, stiff air. With this he knew that everything was real, he was there in spirit, and forever bound to the Place of No Stars.

He continued sneaking through, trying to keep his paws light and unnoticed. He didn't have much to fear here, yet the forest itself seemed ready to snatch and destroy him.

A sickly gleam rose from patches along his path. It was his only source of light, without it's existence, he'd be drowning in choking black.

The trees began to thin and he came to a small clearing encircled with the mysterious gleam. _Time to meet up with my apprentice_. Hawkfrost twisted around to lick the fur that was ruffled up along his back, but stopped himself. Why should he care what he looked like? It wasn't like he was meeting anyone important. Despite telling himself this, he felt his ears burn with an unknown emotion.

He turned his gaze to the compact earth in front of him. A small white and gray she-cat appeared as though out of thin air once he allowed himself to blink. The cat was curled into a tight ball, her sides rising and falling in an easy sleep. Unfortunately he could no longer enjoy the calm sleep brought; what he would give for a chance to leave this place, even if it was only a dream.

Something had disturbed the she-cat in her sleep, her ears and whiskers began to twitch irritably. She opened one of her eyes, the color of clear afternoon sky, to take in her surroundings. Perhaps she had hoped that the Dark Forest wouldn't be there. This seemed to be the case, for the light drained from her eyes as she turned to look at Hawkfrost. He felt his heart drop slightly. Was she really that disappointed to be here? He couldn't blame her, but he'd almost hopped to see some sort of happiness when she'd seen he was there.

Hawkfrost shook his head to dislodge the thought and greeted the she-cat with a nod, "Ivypaw." Ivypaw unwrapped herself and climbed to her paws, stretching her limbs for what would be a long night of training. "Ready to begin, then?"

Ivypaw gave a curt nod, but she wasn't looking at him, instead she chose to look at the withered grass beneath her paws. Hawkfrost held back the urge to order her to look at him. How could she just ignore him? A fire of unexpected anger flooded his chest. "Come on," he growled, not bothering to suppress his temper.

Hawkfrost raced across the forest, his paws drumming to a steady rhythm on the ground. Another's lighter gait sounded along side him. Hawkfrost glanced at the apprentice, her fur whipped around her small frame, rippling like a pool of water. Ivypaw was struggling to keep up with him, but the life Hawkfrost was used to seeing in her had returned with the run.

Hawkfrost slowed to a stop when their path was blocked by a pile of jagged rocks.

"What's this?" Ivypaw panted, coming to his side.

"Our new training ground. Today we're focusing on how to take your surroundings into account when you battle. You need to make sure you're aware of both your opponent and what's around you to be the best warrior."

Ivypaw appeared slightly apprehensive. Her gaze drifted over the sharpened spikes that reached to the pitch black sky.

Hawkfrost glanced at Ivypaw and meowed, "Don't worry, you'll do fine."

He was surprised when a purr rose from Ivypaw. Apparently so was she, because she quickly ceased the rumble in her throat. Again, Hawkfrost felt his ears burn and he struggled to recollect his thoughts, forcing away everything that didn't have to do with the training session.

"What do you want me to do?" She mewed quickly.

Hawkfrost blinked slowly, then slid away from her side, "I'll hide among the spikes and you'll come in. Once I attack, I want you to keep aware of the spikes around you and of me. If you know what you're surroundings are, you may be able to use them to your advantage."

Hawkfrost waited for her to nod before darting off into the rocks. He ran until Ivypaw disappeared from his range of sight. Then, he scrambled up a spike, clinging to the rough stone with his claws. He waited.

Ivypaw appeared shortly after. Her nose was raised and her jaws slightly parted as she tried to find his scent. In her search, she came to the base of the spike he hung on, but she wasn't looking up. It was then that Hawkfrost dropped down onto her. Ivypaw gave a small squeak of surprise, but quickly scrabbled away from Hawkfrost. He had been unsteady from his fall, however, the second he regained his balance he shot at her, pinning her to a rock. Ivypaw was slithering like a snake under his grasp, but Hawkfrost didn't let her go.

"Come on, take in your surroundings! Use them against me!" Hawkfrost hissed. Then he felt something hit his belly and nearly jumped away in surprise. Ivypaw had managed to kick a stone at him. She took advantage of his loosened grip and writhed away.

She scrambled up the spike above Hawkfrost and dive bombed him. But Ivypaw seemed to have forgotten how light she was, and Hawkfrost threw her off easily. Hawkfrost, unfortunately, overestimated Ivypaw's weight as much as she had. Ivypaw flew through the air and hit another spike, crumbling to the ground after the impact.

"Ivypaw!" Hawkfrost raced to the apprentice's side and nudged her with his nose. She didn't respond. Panic welled up inside him, but it rushed away when he saw that she was breathing. Hawkfrost sighed. _Why be so happy? If she'd died then she could stay here forever, she wouldn't have to leave. _

Hawkfrost shook his head angrily, how could he think that? _It's just because if she lived here she'd be a better Dark Forest warrior, that's all, _he assured himself.

A trickle of blood was flowing from Ivypaw's shoulder. Hawkfrost gave another sigh, obviously he couldn't train her anymore tonight. Even so, he stayed beside her until she faded away to the waking world.

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><p>Ivypaw jerked awake and instantly regretted it. She forced down a cry as pain shot down her left side. Blood was welling up on her shoulder, streaking down her pelt and pooling in her nest.<p>

Ivypaw forced herself to her paws. She lapped her shoulder until the bleeding slowed enough for her to move without splattering blood around the den. As she dug through her nest with her nose, she grabbed all the blood stained pieces and dragged them out. Once her nest was clean, she gathered all the soiled moss in her mouth and headed for the exit. She padded around her snoring sister, Dovepaw, careful not to disturb her.

Once she was in the clearing, she limped toward the medicine den, careful to keep weight off her injured shoulder. The chilly night air made her pelt bristle against it. The scents of growing plants filled her nose, a pleasant change from the smell of ice and snow that accompanied Leaf-bare.

Ivypaw pushed through the brambles covering the medicine den. The thorns scrapped her shoulder and she bit down on her mouth-full of moss to prevent herself from making noise. The last thing she needed was the clan to wake up from her howls of agony. Her paws scrapped the stone ground as she placed the moss in a far corner of the den.

Jayfeather, the ThunderClan medicine cat, was curled up in his nest. The brown heap of fur that slept in a nest beside him was Briarlight. In a farther corner of the den, Cherrykit and Sandstorm slept in their own nests. The two cats had caught Whitecough and had been separated from the rest of the Clan so the sickness wouldn't spread.

Ivypaw limped over to Jayfeather's nest and whispered the medicine cat's name into his ear.

Jayfeather flicked his ear as her breath stirred his ear hair. "What?" He grumbled, his irritation at being disturbed was clear.

"I hurt my shoulder, can you fix it up?"

Ivypaw hadn't needed to elaborate. Immediately, Jayfeather's eyes opened and he leaped out of his nest and ran to the back of the den. Ivypaw knew Jayfeather wouldn't want her walking around with an injury she hadn't had before she went to sleep. Neither her or any of the Three would want to deal with their clanmate's questions.

Briarlight's head appeared over the edge of her nest. "What's going on?" She murmured sleepily.

"Nothing, Briarlight." Jayfeather replied, dropping several herbs beside Ivypaw, "Go back to sleep." His voice was unusually gentle to assure the paralyzed warrior everything was fine. Briarlight disappeared once more into her nest.

Jayfeather chewed an herb, his ears swiveled toward Briarlight. He waited until her breathing became slowed.

"What did you find out?" Jayfeather whispered, licking juices into Ivypaw's shoulder.

"Nothing," Ivypaw sighed, gritting her teeth as the poultice worked it's way into her wound.

Jayfeather jerked back, "What? What do you mean you didn't find anything out? You were there weren't you?"

Ivypaw twitched her tail irritably, she didn't need Jayfeather's sass. She was the one who was getting hurt to spy on the Dark Forest, not him. "I wasn't there long enough, I was injured soon after I arrived."

Jayfeather didn't say anything for a bit, unsticking spider web from the ground, "How did you wake up?"

"I was knocked unconscious in the Dark Forest and woke up here."

"Interesting."

Ivypaw let Jayfeather wrap her shoulder, her mind drifting off to her lesson with Hawkfrost. The tabby warrior was probably angry that their training session had to end so abruptly. Truth was, so was Ivypaw. Though he was among the enemy, Ivypaw enjoyed learning new battle moves that furthered her training in ThunderClan.

"Alright." Jayfeather meowed finally, "I've patched it up, just don't do anything to mess it up again."

Ivypaw nodded, then made for the exit of the den.

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><p>The morning air was starting to warm as the sun slowly peeked over the horizon. The sky gradually lightened in orange and yellow, the stars and moon fading to nothing with the coming day.<p>

Ivypaw padded through ThunderClan territory, her senses alert. She'd decided to go for a bit of hunting to clear her head. The pain in her shoulder had numbed with Jayfeather's herbs and she'd lost her limp.

Green grass crunched underneath her and she tried to move fluidly. There was no use looking for prey if she scared it all off by stomping through the forest. She shifted ferns away with her nose and pressed on, keeping her ears pricked.

The undergrowth twitched several tail-lengths ahead and Ivypaw instinctively fell into a hunting crouch. She concentrated on the sound of the prey's fast but steady heartbeat and forced her body to move as quietly as possible. As she crept up on the tiny creature, she accidentally stepped on a fallen twig; the sound sent the mouse scurrying for it's burrow. Ivypaw hissed in frustration. _Keep aware of your surroundings!_ She swore she heard Hawkfrost snarling.

Ivypaw walked a bit farther into the forest until she saw a raven picking for a worm in the ground. This time, as Ivypaw padded up to her prey, she was sure to give a quick sweep around her and avoided the fallen sticks. Once she was close enough, she pounced and killed the raven in one quick bite.

_Very good_, she could imagine Hawkfrost saying with satisfaction. A purr rose in her throat at the thought of Hawkfrost's praise. Any time she remembered the Dark Forest warrior, it seemed to bring happiness to her, not the fear everyone else would feel.

Ivypaw stared at the dead raven, her mind whirling. _It's Tigerheart I care about, that's why_, Ivypaw told herself. _Hawkfrost looks like Tigerheart, so it makes sense I would also have similar feelings for someone who looked like him. _

Oh, said a voice in her head, _but how do you know you don't care for Tigerheart because he looks like Hawkfrost_?

Ivypaw shook her head. That was just ridiculous.

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><p><em>So... Whatcha think? There's only one way for me to find out, review!<em>


	2. Chapter 2

Hawkfrost broke step and swung his head around when he heard the sounds of dried ferns rustling. Had he been alive, he'd have already pounced into the undergrowth, and sank his claws into the flesh of his prey; but being as it was the Dark Forest, he knew trying to catch anything would be pointless. The empty feeling he felt, caused by hunger, could never be filled so long as he stayed in the Place of No Stars.

Then there was the other sense of hollowness that effected something other than his stomach.

He knew Ivypaw was all right, from what little the Dark Forest could show him. Still, he felt somewhat guilty, knowing he was the reason she'd had to leave in the first place. _None of that_, Hawkfrost told himself, _if she's too weak to stand injury, then she'll be of no use to the Dark Forest. _

But why did it seem that he didn't care what helped or hurt the Dark Forest anymore? It wasn't that he didn't think they'd conquer the four Clans, and StarClan along with them. But the feeling of confidence and assurance he had felt when he first heard Tigerstar say they'd take over the lake, had disappeared.

It was like he didn't have any reason to fight for the Dark Forest anymore, and why should he? What did he think the world would be like when Tigerstar controlled it? Did he really truly believe it would be better; that Tigerstar would be willing to share the power he gained with his son? Hawkfrost closed his eyes, his head over-run with conflicting thoughts and emotions.

An unusual scent drifted to his nose, dragging him from his thoughts. The smell hung from the brambles growing around the trunk of a tree. Hawkfrost padded over and hovered his muzzle over the undergrowth, drinking in what appeared to be a cat's scent, one that was ill.

It was unusual to find cats who died from sickness in the Dark Forest, most had found death in their enemies, or even themselves. Even so, Hawkfrost knew that cats sent to the Dark Forest, after developing some sort of illness, would never be able to rid themselves of the disease. Things that caused death in the waking world would still bring you down, even in spirit, if you were placed here. Hawkfrost himself was always dealing with an aching neck, but that was much easier to ignore then what some had to deal with.

Hawkfrost concentrated on the smell, trying to figure out if he knew the cat it belonged to. The sickness almost seemed like Greencough, but had a different more deadly edge to it.

Engulfed in the scent, Hawkfrost wasn't paying attention to everything around him, and jumped when he heard something land on the ground next to him. A pair of amber eyes pierced through the darkness, staring back at him. Slowly, the creature came forward, the shadows reluctantly sinking away to reveal a tom cat. He moved fluidly across the ground, his tail and head held high with undoubted confidence. The cat's pelt mirrored Hawkfrost's, a darkened earth color with tabby markings. This tom, however, appeared much stronger. Hardened muscles lined the cat's shoulders and back and ages of battle experience shown on his pelt marked with scars.

"Tigerstar," Hawkfrost recognized.

"Who else?" Tigerstar meowed, smugly. "Really, Hawkfrost, having spent countless seasons here, I'd think you'd be expecting me."

Hawkfrost paused, watching as his father sat down in front of him and ran his tongue over a paw with unnaturally long claws. Tigerstar watched him out of the corner of his eye, studying him like a piece of scrawny prey caught in leaf-bare; something worthless, but the best you could get.

"Why are you here? Is there something you need me for?" Hawkfrost knew his father would never come just to visit.

"Now that you mention it, there is something that I could use you for," Tigerstar said as though he had just recollected the idea. "Walk with me."

Tigerstar stood and strode back into the shadows, Hawkfrost padding alongside him.

"We have been doing quite well in gaining cats from the Clans," reported Tigerstar. "However, there's one Clan we're lacking members from."

"ThunderClan."

"Yes. I believe Ivypaw is the only cat we have, correct?"

Hawkfrost nodded.

"An apprentice. Of course."

"She'll be a warrior soon. Her training's coming along well, she'll be a good cat to have in our ranks." Hawkfrost's fur bristled, and he struggled to keep down his temper. Ivypaw was much more useful than Tigerstar gave her credit for.

Tigerstar didn't seem to notice his son's anger, or didn't care. "I'm glad to hear it. Even so, it is essential we gain more cats from that Clan. Their kittypet leader has made it difficult for us to steal their cats' loyalty. He's made sure to tell every kit within their borders about us and what we've done. While most of the Clans would rather just forget us and move on, Firestar makes sure to keep his clan's memories about us as clear as possible. He knows the battle is coming, he knows we're trying to turn his cats against him, whether he admits it or not. We were lucky with Ivypaw, she'd heard little about my 'horrible deeds' or of yours. So, of course, she didn't recognize you when you came to her."

"What are you getting to?" Hawkfrost asked, suspicious.

"Someone needs to go to ThunderClan in the waking world so we can figure out which cats have or haven't heard of us. Or find cats who have a dark enough personality to join us regardless of them knowing who we are."

"And how exactly do you plan to do that? You know there's no way for us to return, only StarClan has the ability to send cats back."

"Oh, but that is where you are wrong, Hawkfrost. I've just recently acquainted with a cat who has the ability to do just that."

"Who?"

"Follow me, and I will show you."

Tigerstar whipped around and sprinted off into the opposite direction, and Hawkfrost found himself scrambling to catch up. The two raced through the forest and Hawkfrost had to push his muscles to the limit to keep pace with Tigerstar.

Then, Hawkfrost felt the atmosphere lighten slightly, as though a weight hanging around his shoulders had been lifted. The once pressing darkness began to ebb away around them. A moon curved in the sky above, a thin slice in the sky, but it gave off enough light for Hawkfrost to see clearly. It was only the moon that hung in the sky though, the stars that normally shared the space were absent. Had they been there, and the scents of decay gone, Hawkfrost would have guessed they were in StarClan.

The moon's light gave Hawkfrost new energy, and he found it much easier to stay at Tigerstar's side. The tabby remained emotionless about the sudden change in surroundings, his eyes were focused directly in front of him, as though he were waiting for something to appear along the horizon.

Hawkfrost soon found out what this was when he saw a shimmering light ahead. Tigerstar slowed once it was in sight and trotted through the undergrowth, still dead and dry, but thicker then most of the Dark Forest. Brambles stuck at him from all sides and Hawkfrost grew more and more irritable from it, however Tigerstar pushed through as though they weren't even there.

The undergrowth stopped abruptly, and the two cats tore themselves out of the thorns to lay their paws at the base of a pool. The hard rock underpaw was carved into a perfect circle and filled to the very brim with water. It's surface was still, and directly in it's center reflected the crescent moon.

"This is him." Hawkfrost looked up, but Tigerstar hadn't been talking to him. Instead, he was standing at the side of a black tom with dull yellow eyes.

"Hawkfrost, it is good to meet you." His voice was raspy, and had an edge to it, an accent that Hawkfrost immediately recognized and he instantly felt uneasy. "Tigerstar has told me many of your accomplishments and skills. It's easy to see why he selected you for this."

Hawkfrost narrowed his eyes and looked at Tigerstar who was gazing calmly back at him.

"I have found a way to hopefully increase our numbers from ThunderClan," Tigerstar motioned to the tom at his side, "Darkshadow here told me it is possible for the spirit of a cat in the Dark Forest to return to earth."

Darkshadow. Hawkfrost felt his fur prick at the cat's name. Suspicion flooded him as he looked from the tom to Tigerstar. What was going on?

"But it's impossible to return... isn't it?" He was questioning his own knowledge as much as the cat's.

"No, you can go back," Darkshadow said, "However, unlike StarClan, you can't be reborn. The Dark Forest cannot create life, however, they can take it."

"A cat near the Clans has recently died from being hit by a monster," Tigerstar explained. "The impact was enough to force his spirit from his body, but his body is still strong enough to hold someone elses. We will be able to send someone from the Dark Forest to enter the loner's corpse."

"And you want me to go," Hawkfrost concluded.

"Correct."

Hawkfrost grew more and more uncomfortable with this plan. Returning to the living world definitely didn't sound horrible. However, he knew it could easily be a trap, a way to send him to his death.

"When you return to the waking world, you can not only find cats who'd willingly betray their Clans, but prevent kits from learning about us." Tigerstar continued. "It is very important this all goes correctly."

"Then why aren't you the one returning?" questioned Hawkfrost.

"I have things to attend to up here. Not only that, but once you enter the other cat's body, you will not be able to leave."

"Yes, this body will respond to you just as your previous one did," the tom added.

"When you sleep, you'll be able to come here, like any other living cat," explained Tigerstar. "You can give me your updates there. Then, I can enter the minds of the cats who will join us."

"So once everything is all over-" Hawfrost started to say but was interrupted by Darkshadow.

"You will need to stay in the body until your spirit is forced to part with it."

"When I die."

"To simplify it."

Hawkfrost turned his attention back to the pool. Tigerstar padded over to his son and murmured into his ear, "You're presence in the waking world will be valued in many ways, it's important you do this."

It was then Hawkfrost realized he didn't have a choice to go or stay. If he went, he'd follow Tigerstar's orders until his father found something else to use him for and forcibly bring him back to the Dark Forest. But if refused, Tigerstar would kill him now, no questions asked, no second answers. Hawkfrost had no idea what happened to cats who suffered death here, did they disappear? Did they go somewhere else worse than the Dark Forest? Hawkfrost didn't want to find out, so, as always, he went along with his father's orders. Only this time, he didn't do it willingly.

"I'll go." Hawkfrost responded. Tigerstar purred, though it sounded more like a big cat's growl.

"Very good, very good." He put his tail on Hawkfrost's back and led him closer to the pool's edge. Darkshadow reached out one of his paws and touched it with a claw. Instantly the moon disappeared from the surface and the shadow of a cat's corpse formed.

"How will I be able to get into the body of the loner?" asked Hawkfrost, directing his question to Darkshadow.

"You leave that to me." He growled. "Now enter the pool."

Hawkfrost forced all of his fear to the back of his head so it wouldn't effect him. He placed a paw into the water and instantly, he felt the entire pool heave and suck him down all the way. Hawkfrost's gasp of surprise was inaudible as the water surrounded him, pressing in on his being as though trying to squeeze him into a mouse's den. He tried to escape, but his senses, one by one, began to fail. The sounds of his splashing, the feel of the water, the light of the moon, all disappeared until he was nothing.

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><p>Ivypaw flung herself at Mousewhisker, snarling and hissing like a rabid animal. Her claws sliced through his pelt as though the tom were nothing more than air. She was deaf to his shrieks of agony as she ripped her claws through his flesh, blood flooding from his body. Once Mousewhisker failed to move anymore, she leaped away and scanned the area around her. Who would be her next victim? The shadows of cats etched the walls of the camp, the sounds of death and battle echoed against stone.<p>

Out of the corner of her eye, Ivypaw spotted her sister, Dovepaw, laying on her side away from the fight. The she-cat's gray pelt was coated in blood, her breath coming in shallow gasps.

"Ivypaw, help me," she begged. A smile curved the sides of Ivypaw's mouth.

"Of course." Ivypaw pounced on her sister and sank her teeth into her throat. Dovepaw's cries became choked as blood flowed from her neck. Suddenly, Ivypaw felt something snap back inside her. She was killing her sister! Ivypaw jumped away, but the damage was done, Dovepaw lay still.

"No!" Ivypaw cried.

"You have done well," said a voice behind her. Ivypaw whirled around. There stood Hawkfrost, a proud look in his eyes. Then, all grief Ivypaw felt disappeared. She may have killed her only litter mate and led to the destruction of her Clan, but Ivypaw was willing to do anything, so long as it pleased Hawkfrost.

Ivypaw nearly hit the top of the apprentices' den when she felt something nudge her side. Once she landed awkwardly, she whipped around to face who had disturbed her. Dovepaw stared wide-eyed at her, her paw still held in the air from waking Ivypaw up. Her fur was no longer stained red, and her eyes shown only with concern, not the pain they had in Ivypaw's dream.

"Are you alright?" Dovepaw asked, worry filling her voice.

Ivypaw took a shuddering breath and nodded slowly, "I'm okay."

"What were you dreaming about?"

Ivypaw looked at her paws, feeling her fur prickle with fear at the memory of her nightmare. She felt Dovepaw's pelt brush against hers and she nearly jumped to the sky again. Her sister gave her a comforting lick and murmured, "Was it the Dark Forest?"

Ivypaw pulled away and grumbled, "No. I don't want to talk about it."

Dovepaw was quiet, however she was still looking at her with worry. Though it seemed she was going to keep pressing, Dovepaw instead told her the reason she'd come, "Cinderheart and Lionblaze want to take us battle training."

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><p>The rays of the sun warmed Ivypaw's chilled pelt. The entire forest seemed to be soaking up the heat of the sun; water droplets fell from branches and hit the small patrol of mentors and apprentices. The sounds of dripping, though it made their fur damp, brought joy to cats in every Clan. Green-leaf had truly come.<p>

Though the rest of her company seemed light-hearted, Ivypaw was unable to enjoy the weather. Her dream still consumed all of her thoughts. _We're training today _Ivypaw said to herself, _just concentrate on that. _But that was much easier said then done.

Lionblaze had taken the head of the patrol. His pelt matched the burning sun, while Dovepaw's fur gave an impression of a fluffy cloud trying to cover him as she traveled at his side. Cinderheart walked beside Ivypaw, at the back, trying not to look at the fiery warrior ahead of them. Ivypaw knew the two cats had been in an on and off relationship. The Clan had been watching with extreme attention. Gossip, it seemed, was the largest part of any family group.

"Alright." Lionblaze meowed once he came to the center of the clearing used for training. "Let's get started."

Cinderheart didn't move to Lionblaze's side, instead she stayed at her apprentice's side. It seemed the two cats were currently not a couple, but it also appeared that Cinderheart had picked up on Ivypaw's unease. The she-cat was watching her intently, though didn't ask what was wrong.

"We're going to learn a move that changes a cat's attack into you're own offense," Lionblaze announced. "Let me demonstrate," he turned to his own apprentice, "Dovepaw attack me."

Dovepaw wiggled her haunches, her tongue sticking out of the side of her mouth in concentration. Lionblaze sat calmly in front of her until she launched herself at him. When it seemed Dovepaw would land on top of Lionblaze, the flame colored warrior bounded out of the way. Dovepaw was unbalanced when she landed, having expected to land on Lionblaze rather than the hard ground. Lionblaze rounded on top of the she-cat, pushing her into the the dirt.

Dovepaw squeaked, surprised by her mentor's move. Lionblaze stepped off her and helped her to her paws. "And that's all to it. The trick is to stay light on your feet so your opponent doesn't get up before you can attack" He explained, "Did you get that Ivypaw?"

Ivypaw nodded. She'd already learned the move from Hawkfrost half a moon ago. It turned out training in the Dark Forest definitely had it's benefits.

"Now, Dovepaw, let's see if you learned from my example. Ivypaw, attack Dovepaw." Lionblaze commanded. Dovepaw already seemed ready to leap away as she rocked on her paws. Without a word, Ivypaw leaped at Dovepaw. The gray apprentice jumped away from Ivypaw's attack easily and was ready to counter it. However, since Ivypaw already knew Dovepaw's intents, she'd landed easily enough that she didn't have to regain her balance. She kept her hind legs in the air and when Dovepaw jumped at her, Ivypaw kicked her away.

Dovepaw tumbled away, making small squeaks as she hit the ground. When she stopped rolling, she didn't move at all. "Dovepaw?" Lionblaze bounded over to his apprentice and nudged her with his head. The she-cat gave a small groan, but managed to climbed back to her paws with Lionblaze's help.

"I'm fine." She sputtered, shaking out her pelt. "Do I get to attack Ivypaw now?"

* * *

><p>The two apprentices practiced the battle move until sun-high, when Lionblaze decided it was time for them to return to camp. Dovepaw skipped happily at Ivypaw's side, recalling how she'd managed to defeat Ivypaw with the new battle move. Ivypaw wasn't listening, she had stopped paying attention to her sister and training a long time ago.<p>

Instead she had been trying to find a reason for her nightmare. She knew medicine cats received dreams that foretold the future from StarClan. Had that been what her dream was? The thought of willingly slaughtering her entire Clan and even Dovepaw made Ivypaw sick to her stomach.

Then there was the way she'd felt when Hawkfrost praised her for killing Dovepaw. It was as though Dovepaw's death didn't matter at all, only getting Hawkfrost to say those words of praise. Ivypaw remembered feeling that she would do anything to make Hawkfrost proud of her.

Ivypaw's head was clouded with dread, wishing there was someone she could talk to that shared her feelings. However she didn't feel ready to share the nightmare with her sister. If she told Dovepaw, then she might try harder to make it so she couldn't go to the Dark Forest. Even if meeting with Hawkfrost was most likely the cause of her dream, the thought of never being able to train with the dark tabby made Ivypaw feel worse. But what if her going to train with Hawkfrost would only make the dream come true? Was she that willing to risk the possibility of murdering her sister just to train with Hawkfrost?

Dovepaw and Ivypaw entered the camp through the tunnel. Ivypaw almost tripped over a ball of moss when she layed a paw into the clearing.

"Hey guys, can you toss it back?" Briarlight called from the medicine den. Molekit was bouncing in wait for the toy's return, while Cherrykit stood at her brother's side with visible weakness, however the scent of disease no longer clang to her pelt. Dovepaw scooped up the moss ball and tossed it back to the kits.

Jayfeather came out of the medicine den and meowed thanks to the paralyzed warrior for helping get Cherrykit some exercise. Ivypaw turned away when Jayfeather licked Briarlight's head, to look at Squirrelflight and Thornclaw chatting and sharing prey under the Highledge. Rosepetal was pointing out a mouse to Foxleap in the fresh-kill pile while Ferncloud shared tongues with Icecloud. How normal the camp was living, as though the coming battle between them and Dark Forest were nothing. The excuse Jayfeather had given her when she asked why they didn't tell them made sense. Ignorance was bliss.

Suddenly Sorreltail bounded across the clearing, pushing cats away to get to the medicine den. "Jayfeather!"

Jayfeather jumped away just as the tortoiseshell she-cat landed were he'd just been sitting. "Sorreltail, what in StarClan's name is wrong with you?" He snarled.

"It's Leafpool, I think she has Greencough!"

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><p><em>Any good? Don't forget to review! <em>


	3. Chapter 3

Hawkfrost floated in darkness for what seemed like an eternity. Then, something plucked him from his torturous nonexistence. He knew he was moving, however, he had no sense of his surroundings, only a dim understanding of what was happening to him. Hawkfrost was completely blind and deaf to everything outside himself.

The entity proceeded to stretch, compress, and mold Hawkfrost so he could fit into a space he was being squeezed into. Something Hawkfrost knew he had no right in entering. He struggled against this being, but it was no use. His spirit had no choice but to comply. Once he'd been properly shaped, his sculptor shoved him into the empty compartment and everything clicked into place.

Out of no where, Hawkfrost heard a strong thud resembling a falling tree's impact with the ground. The next sound was similar, but noticeably weaker. However, it gathered in strength until it was pounding continuously. It's rhythmic beating was the only thing Hawkfrost was aware of, nothing else mattered. He realized it was his heart. No, the _loner's_ heart. Forcibly being started again, though it's owner had gone.

The sound of the pounding faded to the background as he became aware of everything else about his body. It felt stiff, cold, and unused, but it also didn't feel like it fit perfectly. Like a bear forced to wear a horse's skin.

His chest was forcing itself to expand to draw in the air around him. The blood that his heart was trying to pump through him seemed partially frozen and it had to slowly defrost from it's previous state.

Then Hawkfrost started noticing everything outside of his new body. There was a strange, rough material underneath him that was singeing his fur. He felt a gentle warmth on the side not pressed against the ground, which he realized must have been from the sun. Off in the distance, he heard the sounds of birds chirping and leaves rustling. After spending so much time away, the noises sounded unnatural.

Hawkfrost allowed himself to get used to his new shell before attempting to move. He could lay there forever, simply listening to his heart beat again.

But then a distant roar broke the peace and drowned out every other source of life. It drew closer, the noise rattling his bones and making the ground beneath him shake.

Hawkfrost forced his eyes open to find himself nearly three badger lengths away from being run over by a monster. He didn't bother trying to stand up fully, he just scrambled away, racking his claws across the Thunderpath's surface to pick up speed. Hawkfrost just managed to leap into the bushes on the other side of the Thunderpath as the monster roared past.

The incident left Hawkfrost trembling, but he knew it was important to forget it and move on. The monster had gone, there was no use fearing what could have happened. There were more important things to worry about. He needed to figure out where exactly the lake was, and if it was as close as Tigerstar had made it out to be.

He accessed his current location. It was a forest, much like the one where ThunderClan lived. There were many species of trees surrounding him. Hawkfrost noticed oaks and maple, their branches filled with tiny, maturing leaves, along with several towering pines. The sun was directly above him, and there were no clouds attempting to block out it's light.

The wind blowing around him felt slightly chilled, despite the fact that it was a humid day. Hawkfrost parted his jaws, the air tasted of water and fish. He licked his lips, the thought of finally being able to eat his prey again made him realize how hungry he'd become.

Hawkfrost scented the air again, trying to find the exact direction of the lake. But, he caught the smell of something else this time. Blood. The ferns on his left side were painted with red. His entire side was caked in blood, and more was flowing from some unseen wound. It was just as he became aware of his injury, that he felt a stabbing pain shoot through his front leg.

_Obviously a cat can't get hit by a monster without some kind of injury_, he thought. There was no way he could possibly be that lucky. His leg was twisted into an awkward position, the flesh torn and bleeding. _What, did the loner take all the damage in his leg?_ The rest of his new body seemed fine, though he felt as though he'd just got done being a badger kit's play thing.

Hawkfrost limped to a tree branch, the sun light caught on a spiderweb. He swatted his good paw through the web and wrapped the sticky silk around it. He tried to bandage his leg, but doing so was much harder than Mothwing had made it seem. When he was finished, it looked like a kit had done it and web was clinging in random places all over his pelt. But at least it covered most of his wound and stopped the bleeding.

He needed to start towards the lake, but there were more important things to do first. The scent of the Thunderpath clang to his pelt, putting a horrible taste in his mouth that he needed to get rid of. Not only that, but the heat had dried out his throat so much he could barely squeak.

The scent of the lake was overpowered by a nearer source of water. Hawkfrost followed it a short distance until he came to a stream.

As much as he wanted to leap into the water, Hawkfrost knew doing so would tear off the spiderweb on his leg. He would just have to lap off the Thunderpath's rank odder and the dry blood, though the thought made him feel ill.

But there was no use trying to clean himself if he was parched to the point that he couldn't feel his tongue. He limped to the edge and bent down to lap the water from the surface.

When he pulled back, he realized his reflection. He really shouldn't have expected to look at himself, but seeing another cat in his place made Hawkfrost jump. The loner must not have had a good meal for a while, his bones jutted out beneath his pelt everywhere. His fur was dull, a dusty orange color with darker tabby markings. It also appeared like it hadn't been taken care of by it's former owner very well.

While the loner may have been skinny, it was obvious he wasn't the bottom of the food chain. Lean yet hardened muscles were just noticeable beneath his pelt. His claws and teeth were all still there, sharp and ready to shred anyone who stood in his way.

He could get used to this body, though it was very different from his own. He studied his reflection, all the way up to his eyes. _His_ eyes. They were the same bright, icy blue.

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><p>"Molekit hold still!" Ivypaw ordered, trying to hold onto the slippery kit as he struggled to escape from her. "If Jayfeather doesn't get that thorn out, it's going to hurt a lot more later!"<p>

She'd only come into the medicine den to have Jayfeather look at her shoulder, as he'd asked her to do. Then Poppyfrost brought her kit in. Molekit had been complaining about a thorn stuck deep in his paw pad.

Of course, though Jayfeather was only trying to help, Molekit was making it nearly impossible to remove the cause of his pain. Now both Poppyfrost and Ivypaw were struggling to pin Molekit to the ground so Jayfeather could pull out the thorn.

Molekit twisted ferociously in their grip, "No! I was just kidding, it doesn't hurt that bad, really!" Jayfeather tried to get his teeth around the thorn, but each time Molekit scratched frantically at his face.

Finally, when a swat at Jayfeather's nose drew blood, the medicine cat snapped. "If you don't hold still and let me yank that thorn out, I'll give you something to complain about!"

Poppyfrost gave Jayfeather a nasty look and Molekit whimpered, but he stopped wiggling. Molekit gave a small squeak when Jayfeather pulled out the thorn.

"Finally." Ivypaw sighed as Jayfeather spat the thorn out.

Molekit, apparently thinking he was done, made for wobbly exit, but was stopped when Jayfeather yowled, "Where do you think _you're_ going?"

Molekit limped back, his head hanging. Jayfeather went to get some marigold from his store. Once he came back, he chewed the leaves to a pulp, then lick the juices into the kit's paw. When Jayfeather finally finished, Molekit raced out of the den, dragging his injured paw with him. Poppyfrost thanked Jayfeather with a nod, even she couldn't be angry at him anymore if his yelling had worked.

"Now that that's out of the way," Jayfeather meowed, turning to Ivypaw, "I can get back to you. Is your shoulder hurting you in anyway?"

He gently prodded her shoulder with his nose. "Not much, it's just a little sore." Ivypaw answered.

"Hmm... may as well put more marigold on it, just in case. The last thing you need to deal with is infection."

Jayfeather's words laid heavily on Ivypaw's heart. She knew he was thinking about the Dark Forest, and not so much her duty to the Clan. It seemed he only valued her as a pawn in discovering their enemy's secrets rather than a vital and loyal Clanmate. But it hurt her worse knowing she hadn't gone to the Dark Forest for the past three days.

Ivypaw believe that Hawkfrost had decided it wasn't worth training her anymore. The injury that knocked her out may have showed that she wasn't strong enough to fight for them. She hadn't ever gone without entering the Dark Forest for more than two days, so it seemed the only logical conclusion. Ivypaw felt useless and forgotten.

Her thoughts were interrupted as Leafpool, laying in a makeshift nest at the back of the den, entered a coughing fit. Leafpool had been taken in by Jayfeather when she appeared to have contracted Greencough. Ivypaw was surprised, as Jayfeather and many of the clan were, that Leafpool had caught it so late. Normally Greencough was a problem during the middle of leaf-bare, not early newleaf.

Still, it seemed Leafpool had no choice but enter the care of Jayfeather. Her coughing definitely didn't sound normal, it was like she was trying to hack up all of her internal organs.

Jayfeather pawed several herbs from his store along with the marigold. He dropped the golden leaves at Ivypaw's feet and told her to wait as he went to check on Leafpool. Ivypaw had sympathy for Jayfeather, she could sense it was awkward for the tom to take care of his former mentor and mother. Especially if he'd gone to such great lengths to remove her from his life once he had discovered the truth.

Jayfeather pushed the herbs under her nose and Ivypaw could hear him whispering, "Here, eat these." There was a hint of fear in the medicine cat's voice. Did Jayfeather think Leafpool wouldn't make it? Did he actually fear for his mother's life?

Ivypaw had thought Jayfeather wouldn't have to worry, seeing as it was newleaf and everything was growing back. Surely that included the catnip to treat Leafpool.

Once Jayfeather was finished with Leafpool, he went back to treating Ivypaw. As he scooped the marigold into his mouth, Briarlight dragged herself through the entrance of the den, licking the blood of her recent lunch from mouth.

"Do you need any help?" she offered.

"No," Jayfeather mumbled behind his mouthful of herbs.

Briarlight looked concerned for the medicine cat, "But you've been rushing around all morning. How about I go check on Icecloud? You told me what to look for when I came with you last time."

Icecloud had recently moved into the nursery, her belly was already beginning to grow noticeably rounder with her coming kits. Ivypaw remembered how Mousewhisker had looked like he was ready to burst from excitement when he found out.

Jayfeather considered Briarlight. "Okay, go. And make sure to tell Molekit to get back into the nursery if he's out. If he keeps running around he'll mess up his paw even more."

Briarlight purred, happy to have been given the responsibility, and pulled herself out into camp.

"And now you're done as well." Jayfeather swept away the remaining marigold leaves with his tail.

"Thanks Jayfeather."

Ivypaw padded out the exit and into the clearing. She watched as Briarlight disappeared into the nursery.

It seemed everyone was being affected by newleaf, and the emotions it caused. Rosepetal was already starting to look larger than normal and constantly stayed at Foxleap's side. Ivypaw remembered her sister's new attraction. Was Dovepaw still visiting Tigerheart? It wasn't like she had to look away from the Clan for a mate, Bumbleflight and Toadstep were always staring.

Squirrelflight was still being ignored by Brambleclaw, yet she'd recently been looking a bit more perky. Apparently someone had knocked some sense into her. Lionblaze and Cinderheart still weren't on speaking terms as far as she could tell, but they went through stages so fast it was hard to tell where they were at in their relationship.

Ivypaw sighed. Everyone was pairing up and she felt like the odd one out. Maybe she should just become a medicine cat.

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><p>Ivypaw trailed at the back of the evening patrol behind Blossomfall and Hazeltail. She didn't want to become part of their conversation. They appeared to be gossiping, because they kept their heads together and every so often one of them would pull back gasping, "No way!" As far as she could tell they weren't talking about her, though Toadstep's name often came up.<p>

Lionblaze, who was the head of the patrol, was constantly snapping at them to pay attention. They were near the boarder that lined against an unclaimed forest territory, which was bound to be filled with all manner of cat-eating creatures. Lionblaze had a good reason to want the she-cats on alert.

Ivypaw stayed in the wake of the patrol as they plowed through the long grass growing along the border. They all stayed in a straight line, Lionblaze at the front as he marked any trees they came across. Suddenly he stopped without warning, causing everyone else to run into the back of him.

"Quiet!" He snapped, "Did you hear that?"

"No," Blossomfall growled.

"Exactly." His ears were still pricked as he flicked his head from side to side. "There is no noise at all, something's been through here. A predator."

Ivypaw was suddenly on alert. Lionblaze lead the patrol slowly through the grass, their movements silent. Ivypaw moved her paws easily over the ground, keeping her stomach to the grass. Her heart picked up speed, she was caught between fear and excitement.

Lionblaze snarled just as Ivypaw was hit with the scent of blood. Blossomfall and Hazeltail quickly helped to surround whatever the creature was. When Ivypaw ran up to help, she was surprised to see a cat. An orange tabby tom.

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><p><em>As always, the reviews are much appreciated. <em>


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